San Jose has a million residents, but can it lose a million pounds? That’s the hefty challenge City Councilman Pete Constant launched last month, and Constant, Mayor Chuck Reed and Health Trust CEO Fred Ferrer extended the invitation to the rest of Silicon Valley this week.

The councilman, who’s never been shy about his own weight struggles over the years, was inspired to do something after colleague Councilman Ash Kalra proposed getting rid of sodas from city vending machines last year. Constant argued it was “better to educate than legislate” and decided he would try to live up to those words.

So was born the Lose a Million challenge. With partners like the Health Trust and Kaiser Permanente, the campaign seems aimed more at healthy habits like walking more than body image, and the website (www.loseamillion.com) includes resources like healthy recipes and the location of parks and farmers markets.

In the first three weeks, 180 people have signed up and recorded losing a collective 174 lbs, so there’s quite a way to go.

Constant got the idea from a similar — and successful — effort in Oklahoma City in 2011. And if Oklahoma City can do it, the uber-competitive residents of Silicon Valley should have this thing wrapped up by Labor Day, right?

EVERYTHING IS AWESOME: Clever idea by the Santa Clara Convention and Visitors Bureau to highlight “49 Awesome Things to Do in Santa Clara” in honor of the 49ers calling the Mission City home. But I’ve got to tell you: I like Santa Clara a lot, but I’d still be hard pressed to get into double-digits on “awesome” activities. Thank goodness the city didn’t land the Philadelphia 76ers.

The list includes the usual suspects like Santa Clara University, California’s Great America, the Triton Museum and, of course, Levi’s Stadium. The Intel Museum, the historic Santa Clara train depot and Valley Fair (well, half of it) are there, too. I was happy to see nods to the George Haines Swim Center, Moonlite Lanes and the so-odd-it’s-awesome Universal Child statue, an 80-foot high piece of art dedicated in 1964 that’s shaped like a missile (seriously, it’s at City Hall).

On the other hand, I’m not sure riding the rails to Santa Clara on Caltrain (No. 47), Amtrak (No. 31) or VTA light-rail (No. 15) really qualifies as “awesome,” and No. 49 recommends planning for the game day excitement of Super Bowl 50, which we were probably going to do no matter where we are in the Bay Area.

You can check out the list at www.visitsantaclara.wordpress.com. And here’s a tip: Don’t bother looking for the Hut. The famed dive bar next to Santa Clara University didn’t make the list, either.

Sal Pizarro has written the Around Town column for The Mercury News since 2005. His column covers the people and events surrounding the cultural scene in Silicon Valley. In addition, he writes Cocktail Chronicles, a feature column on Silicon Valley bars and nightclubs.

In closed door talks, Sen. Dianne Feinstein agreed to a major new water policy for California that sells out the Delta and guts Endangered Species Act protections. Sen. Barbara Boxer is fighting the good fight to remove the rider from her comprehensive water infrastructure bill, but it may take a presidential veto.